I want to share an insight that was sparked the other day by my Honda, which is now my official guru and life mentor. ;)

As I started my car, I was alerted that my fuel cap needed to be checked. So without delay, I got out of the car and ensured that the cap was secure. It was just a teeny bit off the thread, and wasn't sealed properly. After removing it and re-sealing it, I returned to my car, started the engine and the "check fuel cap" message was gone, and I went on about my journey.

As I was driving, I acknowledged how sophisticated cars are, to notice when the teeniest thing is out of balance, and to quickly alert us so that that teeny problem doesn't eventually escalate to a bigger problem that can't be fixed with a quick check of a fuel cap.

It then occurred to me that OUR BODIES are similarly sophisticated -- even more so than the cars, of course -- and are sending alert messages to us all the time: "Feed me," "Go to bed," "Move your body," "Go outside," "Express yourself," etc. These alerts work in the same way as the car alert, intended to be addressed soon after the signal is given.

But how many times do we ignore those signals that our bodies are sending us? We get too busy to eat healthy food; too much work to go to bed early; too afraid to speak the truth from our heart; too tired to move our bodies.

Here's the thing, though: We can ignore the nudges from our body to take the appropriate action only for so long. And at some point, more alerts sound, until the problem becomes too big to address with one meal, one good night's sleep, one walk in the park.

Can you relate to this?

I believe it was no accident that this thought occurred to me on the day it did. I was burning the candle at both ends, staying up late, getting up early, and not addressing the messages my body was sending me. Luckily, I was able to catch this pattern in time to find balance, and now I can feel my body has turned off the warning bell, and I can continue on my journey.

I'd love to hear from you...what signals have you been ignoring from your body? What do you KNOW you need to do today to find some balance?